Monday Mecha Madness SHOGUN WARRIORS "Downfall!" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

...the evil Maur-Kon has gained control of giant mecha Combatra V and is using it against the other Shogun Warriors!

Meanwhile, Combatra's unconscious pilot Genji is about to be sacrificed by Maur-Kon's assistant, Magar, to create a mystical creature that will help prove his superiority to his nominal boss...

Written by Doug Moench, penciled by Herb Trimpe, and inked by Mike Esposito, this never-reprinted story from Marvel's Shogun Warriors #6 (1979) concluded the series' first story arc.
So we're taking a break (but only until the New Year) from the Shoguns!
But there's much more Mecha Madness on Mondays!
After a pair of American robot tales for the remainder of November, December will be entirely-dedicated to a groundbreaking Japanese mecha...though not a giant one!

Monday Mecha Madness SHOGUN WARRIORS "Downfall!" Part 1

When Last We Left Our Mecha and Their Pilots...

...while the synopsis covers a few plot points, it doesn't mention what Ilongo and Richard don't know...the third Shogun Warrior, Combatra V, is now in the hands of the evil Maur-Kon and its' pilot, Genji Odashu, is his unconscious prisoner!

To Be Concluded Next Monday!

Written by Doug Moench, pencild by Herb Trimpe and inked by Mike Esposito, Marvel's never-reprinted Shogun Warriors #6 (1979) hurtles towards the conclusion of the first story arc with breakneck speed!

Earth Day Reading Room NIGHTMARE "Pollution Monsters!"

"The Devil made it do it!" is given new meaning...

...in this never-reprinted tale from 55 years ago (the year Earth Day was first celebrated) which reads like one of Atlas' (pre-Marvel Comics) late 1950s-early 1960s monster stories!

Before we continue, two points:

1) Penciler Don Heck was one of the primary artists of both Atlas era and Silver Age Marvel comics stories, including numerous giant monster tales.
(Inker Mike Esposito, though he entered the field at the same time as Heck, didn't do much work for Atlas or Marvel until the late 1960s.)

2) The story is broken into two parts, even though it's only 10 pages, much like those Atlas Comics stories.

Is it a deliberate homage?
Writer Mike Freidrich was one of the first generation of comic fanboys turned professional creatives, so he was very familiar with the inherent tropes...

One big difference between this story and those Atlas-era giant monster stories...we don't win!

We might, but there's no guarantee in this cover-featured tale from Skywald's Nightmare #1 (1970)!

It's over 50 years later...and it's still frightening!

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Friday Fun GET LOST! "Dr Jerkyll Became Mr Hide"

It's more "inspired" by the Robert Louis Stevenson tale than an adaptation...

...since it's set "present day" (1950s) and the dear doctor is a psychiatrist!

MikeRoss' Get Lost was one of numerous MAD comic clones that popped up in the mid-1950s when that humor comic became one of the hottest titles on the market...literally flying off newsstands!

The company, created by writer/artists Mike Esposito and Ross Andru (the "MikeRoss" of the company name) was meant to be a showcase for their talents.
They edited, wrote, and illustrated almost all the material, including this tale from #1 (1954).
Unfortunately, they debuted just as the legendary "Seduction of the Innocent" scandal (where comics were blamed for juvenile delinquency) hit the public consciousness!
All MikeRoss published were Get Lost, Heart and Soul (a romance comic) and a couple of 3-D books using modified Heart and Soul artwork.
Sadly, the company never really got off the ground as distributors became leery of handling any comics, much less titles from a brand-new, unproven company!
MikeRoss folded within a year, and the creators returned to working for others, enjoying long careers in the comics business both as a team and individually until they passed away!

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Reading Room LOST WORLDS "Visitors from Space" and "Space Platforms--Way Stations of the Future!"

Besides comic stories, comic books often ran one-page features like these...

Standard's Lost Worlds #5 Art by Ross Andru & Mike Esposito

...based on historical or scientific information available at the time...

Standards' Lost Worlds #6 Art by Rocco Mastroserio

...or speculation about future developments, again, based on then-current knowledge!

(I love that third panel, showing spacesuit-garbed scientists on a balcony on the satellite!)

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Reading Room WEIRD MYSTERIES "Spirits from Outer Space!"

An astronaut returns from space and doesn't act like himself...

...yeah, it's a bit of a cliche, but this tale from Key's Weird Mysteries #1 (1952), has a surprise gimmick to defeat the baddies!

Illustrated by Walter Palais (brother of better-known Golden Age artist Rudy Palais) and Mike Esposito, this "possession by aliens" tale manages to present a variation of the old story with the fact that literally ANY pain causes the parasite to flee.

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Reading Room WEIRD TALES OF THE FUTURE "Ten Thousand Years Old!"

Here's the "pilot episode" for an ongoing comic series that never came about...

...but did see publication in Key's Weird Tales of the Future #1 (1952)!

It's an interesting premise, and the publishers even gave the story the coveted cover slot...

Art by Ross Andru and ?

...yet next issue, Jerry and Jill were nowhere to be found!

So, what happened?

With a cool (if somewhat implausible) story by an uncredited scripter and pencils (and possible inks) by Ross Andru, it seemed like the sort of ongoing feature that could anchor a title.

Was a second story commissioned?

We'll never know...

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